Distance

length of straight line that connects two points in a measurable space or in an observable physical space

Distance is how far one thing is from another thing. It is also a measure of the space between two things. It can be measured along any path. Thus, someone who goes around in a circle has traveled a distance, even though his position has not changed.

In geometry, the distance between two points A and B is sometimes written as .[1] Pythagorean theorem is often used in the calculation of distance.[2][3] Distance is a scalar, and thus is different from displacement. Displacement is a vector that measures distance with a straight line (and in only one path). Displacement is the shortest way to travel the distance.

Examples change

  • One ball is 5 feet from another ball. The distance between the two balls is 5 feet.
  • John walks at a speed of 6 kilometres per hour for one hour. John walks a distance of 6 kilometres.
  • A circle is a curved line. Each point on the circle is the same distance from the centre of the circle.

Related pages change

References change

  1. "List of Geometry and Trigonometry Symbols". Math Vault. 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  2. Weisstein, Eric W. "Distance". mathworld.wolfram.com. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  3. "Distance Between 2 Points". www.mathsisfun.com. Retrieved 2020-09-01.